


Under the Same Sky

by mwlecs



Series: ocean’s 8 [1]
Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluffy, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Relationship, Lesbians, Ocean’s 8 - Freeform, Ocean’s eight - Freeform, Post-Movie, Pre-Movie, Smut, loubbie, smut??, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:10:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22812061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mwlecs/pseuds/mwlecs
Summary: Lou saw a smile and the tears seemed to stop from falling down her sharp cheeks.“Missed me, jailbird?” with her voice shaky, the blonde woman asked, strong and very pale fingers playing with her rings.
Relationships: Lou Miller & Debbie Ocean, Lou Miller/Debbie Ocean
Series: ocean’s 8 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1439305
Comments: 5
Kudos: 72





	1. Danny’s Epilogue

It was a sunny day that ruined the two last upcoming years that Debbie would have to stay in jail. All it took was one special visit and Debbie’s entire world collided in front of her eyes. She had been keeping anger in her heart and regret in her eyes for too long but she would never ever drag another person into her problems. She even declined sessions with a new therapist from the New York City Prison for Women, maybe it was the denial, she couldn’t process everything in the first two weeks, maybe it was just an absurd, afterall. On that bright, uncannily shinny summer day, Debbie felt like she could finally breathe for awhile, even if she was still inside jail and not so ready to face two more years there. She had a visitor, the two lady guards standing outside of her cell had told her, both women indifferent and cold. 

The man was sitting across the small square made of glass, his long and black topcoat covering his large and somehow soft figure. Debbie sat in front of him, hands on the phone that was attached to the wall, she sighed at the glass separating them, and finally met his familiar glance. Reuben. 

“Deborah, I really wish I were here in other circumstances.” the man moved his hand to the glass, as if trying to magically trespass it with the tips of his fingers delicately pointing at Debbie, who had her hands shaking and chest pounding after his first sentence. She watched him move his hand again, back to where it was on the tiny table, his rough fingers adorned by rings and more rings covered in gold almost scratching the wood surface. “Danny… is gone.” he said, as unhappy as before, looking down the second after. The glance in Debbie’s eyes couldn’t possibly be read. How come _he was gone_? 

Danny, her older brother, her best friend, basically her confident, was dead, and although Debbie had always considered herself to be a strong woman, tough and unshakable, she felt beaten, for the actual first time. This was even worse than the time her lover snitched her to the police, causing Debbie to finally know what the real meaning of betrayal was. They were partners on the game, but he left, not turning around to see if Debbie would ever make it out alive on her own, trapped inside what she then knew to be her last, unsuccessful round. Now, not only had she lost her trust in herself, but also her purpose, her brother. 

Debbie didn’t seem to show more readable expressions once she started to breathe really heavily and Reuben knew what that meant right away. She looked down, and the man knew she was trying her best not to show her tears. Her brown globes were facing her own lap, and she could only blink a few times with the realization that she wasn’t having a nightmare. Once again, she heard the raunchy voice talk against her ear, and her grasp on the phone tightened.

“You know she would want to be here, Debs. She does. But she doesn’t even know if you want to see her, that is, if you’re not mad at her anymore.” Deborah’s eyes darkened with pain and she remembered all that she’d lost. Her heart was so little she could feel it right in this moment, she wouldn’t bear anything else, couldn’t. She just needed everyone to stop, she needed the world to pause and all the people around her to freeze. And that, is what happened, everything felt so… fake, she was almost letting a smile show on her face, but not a happy one, a smile to say _please just end this, get me out of here, I can’t do this and I’ve had enough._ As everything seemed to freeze around her, her memories ran back to her brother, her latest memory of him. A piece of paper and a pen in hand, his eyes watching Debbie with a grin. Debbie was laughing at her brother’s so called _special tips,_ as he began to write down some unreadable lines. 

_“What’s this, Danny?”_ she asked after placing his pen in her hand, also taking the piece of paper.

_“Your future guide.”_ he glanced at her, determined to let her figure it out on her own.

_“I don’t speak your language, big bro.”_ she answered with a sigh.

_“For your plan, Deb. I really like it, I must admit it. I’m scared though, for you… it’s very… ambitious. And we're talking about the Met Gala, for christ’s sake.”_

_“Go big or go home.”_ Danny smiled.

_“What have I done to you?”_ they shared a knowingly smile, and Debbie found home in her brother’s laugh. Back then, Debbie’s plan to steal the Toussaint and break the MET security system was only and just a mere idea she’d only shared with at least two people.

Debbie got pushed by her own mind three years further, now her memories going back to the latest moment she had with her best friend, her partner in crime. Both sat on the roof of the blonde’s den, the woman smoking and her gaze focusing on Debbie and nothing else, not even the dark sky filled with stars above them. 

_“This is still stupid to me, Deb, I don’t know.”_ the woman stated almost silently, the heel of her purple leather boot scratching the floor as she decided to get rid of her last cig. 

_“You’re just saying this because you don’t like him.”_ Debbie said it like it was a fact, and her sentence threw a sharp feeling at her partner’s heart. 

_“Yes, in fact, I don’t like Claude, at all. Like, who’s even called that? Claude?”_ she scoffed, clearly hurt and stressed, but hesitant. Debbie now was also staring at her friend, no words were needed between them. _“But it’s not just that… I don’t trust him, and I don’t trust this.”_

_“Lou, you don’t even know him.”_ Debbie affirmed, following to hear a low and soft ‘exactly’ coming from the blonde woman. 

_“Look, you wanna play around and be with your new boyfriend, fine. That’s really none of my business, so I don’t even know why you’re telling me this. Just go.”_

_“It’s not like I’m going to abandon you, jeez.”_ Debbie stretched her legs and whispered her last words, getting up. 

_“Oh shut up, you know I’m not talking about that.”_ Lou followed Debbie’s movements and followed behind her to the door, ready to leave the roof, but the brunette turned around quickly and positioned herself in front of the door, trying to catch Lou’s gaze.

_“What, Lou, what are you talking about?”_ Lou tried to escape her, standing authoritatively and also very irritatingly at the door, but as soon as she was about to leave, Debbie’s hand grabbed her by her pulse point firmly, causing a sharp sound from Lou’s wrist jewelry to echo all around the empty roof. 

“ _Really, Debbie? You had all these years to talk about this, and now is the time you choose to do so? Let me go.”_ Debbie gave up, letting go of the blonde’s wrist with a silent gasp as she heard the roof door being closed abruptly. She wanted to say ‘please, don’t go’. She wanted to run after Lou, so she could bring her closer to her body with a hug, she wanted more than anything, to feel Lou’s heart pounding next to her own, finding a pace together, even if both of them didn’t know what that meant. Yet. 

Debbie now, more than ever, felt regret take a big place inside her chest, hearing Reuben’s words, knowing that Lou still cared for her, and thought about her, even now. It didn’t take long for the brunette to look over her shoulder and realize that nothing, was in fact, frozen. Reuben only had one minute left with her, which he spared to tell Debbie that he would never leave her side, and that her brother’s legacy would carry on strongly, causing Debbie’s jaw to fall, her heart was so full and yet so broken she felt like she was some defective appliance with no value, but realized after a solid five seconds that he was talking about her.

“I’m not mad at her. I could never be, not for too long.” her voice came out tougher and lower than expected, and she admitted to herself, she not only missed Lou, she couldn’t go on without her. Debbie started to blush without even noticing it, and her expression was an unreadable merge of tears and hopeful thoughts, even though she knew it was all hopeless now. The friendly figure then, after giving her a warm smile and touching the glass divider once again, left Debbie’s eyesight, that was now desperate for some sort of relief, a familiar smile, a home, a purpose.

Nineteen months passed like a hurricane and now Debbie had had her time to rebuild herself from scratch, remembering every single advice her brother had ever given her. _Don’t let life beat you down, you’re not alone, you’re strong, I will always be here._ Danny had always been such a loving brother despite all the funny business he would earlier hide from Debbie. When Debbie turned eighteen, her mother died, leaving her alone in a house with her aunt, who was also a very attentive and loving person, but she would always seek out for her brother, since he was the only one she really would always have by her side. Later on, she lost her father as well, which didn’t affect her much because he wasn’t really close to her and probably cared more for his fortune than his own children. Her father was a wealthy man, and everyone knew that, but the bastard never helped Debbie and her family, leaving them when Debbie was only three months old. Danny was seven years old, and since then, he became a guardian, her safe place and the meaning of her life. Even if both of them were stubborn enough to keep their emotions from showing, they knew that they loved each other and would always have each other’s backs, that, even when Danny was in another country, robbing places and getting richer. He for one, always shared his fortune with Debbie, at least the amount she would be willing to accept. She had never been one to just sit and wait for things to happen, and that’s why now, since she was about to have her first chat with the parole team, she made up her mind and decided to stop the crying and suffering.

After the first interview with one of the policemen, a seed of purpose started to grow inside her, giving her enough strength to finally breathe with pride and confidence, like a person who wouldn’t let life beat her down, let alone, an ex. She would let go, of the pain, of her past, of her unexplained feelings. A different sound alarmed her this time, inside her cell, she looked at the woman tough in her posture and wearing her garb like she could knock you with one punch. 

“Another visit for you, Ocean.” 

“I’m not… in the mood to see anyone today, Tanya.” she looked down and stared at her bed, knowing that the woman was still standing there, a smirk now growing on her lips as she played with the key chain she had in her hand. 

“Well, that’s totally up for you to decide, you’re leaving in five months anyway. But I would not like to go back to the hall and tell that blondie that you don’t want to see her. She’s a little… anxious.” Debbie’s eyes were now stuck right where they were before Tanya said anything, she didn’t seem to have the courage to move. She knew who _that blondie_ was, and if Debbie were to admit she was also anxious now, that would be an understatement, a ridiculous one. 

As she started her pace towards the hall, this time with no glass dividers and telephones, her chest imploded, and her mind started going crazy since she couldn’t keep anything straight up there, seeing what she was seeing now. Debbie only saw the blonde strands, the woman sitting at one corner of the hall on a round, concrete table, her back facing Debbie, she had on her long leopard print coat, the same one Debbie used to get home to and find on the couch, impregnated with Lou’s perfume. Debbie couldn’t quite see them, but she knew those blue eyes were shut in hesitation and that the woman had her own fingers interlocked in fear, probably thinking about what she was going to say. As Debbie told herself she was right, she got to the other side of the table, not quite, because it was a circle, but distant enough to look at that woman properly, eyes staring at hers. Lou had her hands placed on the table, just like Debbie had previously thought, and her eyes were watery, making Debbie focus on them and not on her reluctant lips. Debbie opened her mouth, but didn’t say anything, Lou saw a smile and the tears seemed to stop from falling down her sharp cheeks. 

“Missed me, jailbird?” with her voice shaky, the blonde woman asked, strong and very pale fingers playing with her rings.

“Yes. I wish you’d come earlier, ass.” Debbie didn’t look happy, but Lou knew exactly how she felt, the way Debbie’s palms were sweaty and the look on her face that was telling Lou to stay, to look at her even though they had little to almost no time to be together.

“Debbie… I know we still have some shit to…” Lou was fastly interrupted by the brunette, who seemed to breathe with her full chest heavily before speaking.

“Yes, we do. But can we please, do this in five months?” Debbie asked with a safe smile, and Lou nodded. Debbie’s hands were now shyly placed on the table, next to Lou’s, who was quick enough to grab them and caress the back of the brunette’s hand with her finger. They didn’t know what would happen the day after, or even five minutes after meeting each other, but something somehow showed in both their faces, something, a feeling, came back to both their hearts, and made everything much more clear, even the air, was lighter and easier to breathe.


	2. Impossible to break, hard to see

After Lou’s visit, everything became full of life and right again for Debbie. She felt like she’d found her way back to life again, and Lou was her path to follow. Since that afternoon, all she thought about was the blonde woman and everything about her, everything that made her the person that she is. The glint in Lou’s eyes when Debbie approached her, the way she gets possessive with her bike and the way Debbie is the only person she’ll let sit on it or touch it if not herself. She could and would always see behind her eyes, even when she was asleep, Lou’s blonde strands, and the way her fringe would almost hide her beautiful blue eyes, but still, Lou would always stare at her and make sure Debbie was very aware that those damn ocean globes were always focused on her, even if they were lost in a sea of people, they were attached to each other by a strand, impossible to break, hard to see.

And this was one of these nights, that Debbie finally felt something different grow behind her thoughts, like a sparkle of faith. All she ever did was look at her best friend’s eyes and the world seemed to be on her side again, and now, even if the world would indeed try to sweep her off her feet, she had Lou. It felt incredibly weird to her, the feeling of finally having someone, after so many years… after Danny. All she felt was love. Lou was there for her, because and only because she loved her. 

  
  
  


**_Five months and one day later…_ **

Debbie was still in bed, she’d been woken up by the sound of something frying on a fridge, she could perfectly smell the sweet aroma now entering the room, a little bit of vanilla and a touch of black coffee. The brunette sat down on the bed, legs still covered by some white fluffy blankets with a certain fragrance smell, a smell Debbie knew. Her lips made a curve and she smiled at the door, the blonde and tall woman was now standing very still with a knowingly grin on her lips, holding a wood tray. Debbie didn’t pay much attention to her room, and she barely even noticed the walls covered with polaroid pictures and all the books around the bed, Lou’s bed.

“You know, you didn’t have to let me sleep in your bed, there are many other rooms upstairs with very comfortable beds, and I could perfectly sleep in one of them.” Debbie stated, taking a bite of her pancake.

“Stop doing that. Let me take care of you, alright. Or what? Did you really think that for your first night back I’d let you spend the night all alone upstairs?” Lou replied, taking her hands out of her pockets.

“And where the hell did you sleep, anyway? I told you you could’ve stayed in bed with me, I don’t mind.”

“Ah, of course you don’t.”

“Can we not do this right now?” Debbie didn’t look up but she could tell how tense Lou was, sitting across her on the bed.

“Yeah, sure, but when? No, seriously, Deb. I don’t want to be a pain in your ass, but we need to talk.” Debbie sighed and Lou imitated her, not being able to keep inside the pressure she was holding inside her own chest.

“I know what you want to say to me, so go ahead.”

“I told you.” Lou said, and the brunette smiled at her.

“Happy now?”

“Not quite, missy.” Lou smirked and sat a little closer to her friend. “It was a little fun to be without you for a while, you know… chicks and alcohol after one a.m. is something you’d never let me do anyway.”

“Oh my god Lou.”

“Shush, eat your food… anyway, like I said, it was fun for a while, but after like, what, two months, I started missing you, like for christ’s sake, Debbie, you’re my best friend.” Debbie winked at her still chewing on her pancakes, her favorite ones, the ones Lou would make for her. 

“Is that so, Miller?” Debbie had a smirk showing on her lips, but still focused on her plate with pancakes and strawberries, Lou just couldn’t stop bribing her. Thank god. Lou sighed and got up, adjusting her suit a little bit, her hands caressed her tie as she glanced at a hungry Debbie with her eyes almost closed again, wearing one of Lou’s hoodies. 

“You do realize you’ve got your stuff here too, right? Why are you wearing my favorite hoodie?” 

“Your favorite hoodie? I’ve never seen you wear this!”

“Yeah, there’s a lot you haven’t seen, so what?” 

“What? Do I have to take it off then?” Debbie asked, and the blonde laughed, throwing a pillow at her. “Thanks for the food by the way, you’re still the best cook I know.” Debbie said as she watched Lou initiate her slow steps to leave the room.

“I’m the only cook you know, sweetheart.” Lou replied in a deep tone as she closed the door behind her, leaving Debbie to finish her food and shower right after. 

  
  
  


**_Three pancakes_ ** **_later..._ **

“Do you wanna go for a ride?” The blonde woman asked, sitting on the couch like a king.

“Uh, are you planning on killing me?” Debbie raised her brow, lifting one finger at Lou. They were both watching tv and Lou had some playing cards in hand, not really doing anything with them since Debbie couldn’t play. 

“What?” she asked loudly and ironically. “I just got you back and you already think I’m trying to get rid of you?” Debbie glanced at her, but didn’t pay much attention to her words. As she laughed because of something Lou had said earlier, she took her phone from the armchair and unblocked it, Lou’s eyes followed her friend’s fingers at the very exact moment, attentive to her actions. “What are you doing?”

“All these people… half of them went magically missing after I went to jail…” she laughed, disappointed.

“Yeah, you were in the slammer, not a cruise.”

“You think he’s out there?” Debbie stopped scrolling through her contacts and opened a page with the name that she so hated to say. Claude Becker. 

“I mean, probably, why?” Lou felt a distinguished feeling inside her mind, a wave of insecurity took over her brain and she wanted to cry out of the blue, thinking about the fact that Debbie was still somehow attached to that man. 

“Shouldn’t be.” she closed her phone, immediately putting it to the side. 

“Yeah no shit.”

“Lou… did my brother ever talk to you about… a plan I had?” Debbie asked, her fingers playing with the remote as she tried to avoid Lou’s uncertain judgement.

“You mean the MET thing? He did, and you also mentioned it briefly before… you know.”

“Being grounded?” she glanced at the taller woman swiftly, a smile forcing its stay on her face.

“Sure that, why are you bringing this up? You’re not really meaning to do it, right?”

“Baby, after fifteen years of friendship I would expect you to know me better.” Debbie mocked, and Lou whispered one not so soft “cut the crap” right before the brunette got up and went to the kitchen to grab a piece of paper, a pen and a bottle of wine with two glasses.

“Really, wine? Honey, after fifteen years of friendship I would expect you to know me better.” she smiled as Debbie handed her a half full glass, joining her again. 

“I could tell you to cut the crap but you know I’m not into that language.”

“Bullshit.” she sipped some of the cheap wine while observing Debbie mysteriously write something on the paper, after placing her glass on the coffee table, the same one Lou had her feet up on. “Oh fuck are we actually doing this?” Lou asked unsure of what else to say, as she saw that Debbie was writing down a list with fourteen to fifteen items. 

“Scared?” Debbie knew Lou was just as excited for this as her.

“Not in the slightest, it is terribly dangerous and probably stupid. My favorite.”

“Yes.” Debbie whispered and let out a laugh. 

“What does ‘Cupid’s delight’ mean?” Lou asked with her eyes glued to the list in Debbie’s hand. The brunette didn’t say anything, but showed a wide smile to her, receiving a mischievous look from Lou in return. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry guys this chapter is a little shorter i know i know (and pls let me know if you’re enjoying the story because i plan on making shit get real very soon)


	3. After all is done

“Hey jailbird.” the blonde woman said in a sweet tone as she crossed the street to meet one very well dressed Debbie Ocean. The brunette’s hair was hidden under a blonde wig and her fake blonde strands contrasted with her brown gown with small gold details all over it, not taking away any attention from her curves under the dress. Lou for one, opted for something ‘casual’ and comfortable, going for a super sparkly green jumpsuit, her ‘v cut’ cleavage allowing Debbie to savour the image of Lou’s pale chest. The heist was over, and they succeeded just how the duo predicted. All was well. 

“Glitterpants.” Debbie greeted her partner with a devilish look. “Why are you wearing that? Not that I’m complaining or anything but…”

“You know for someone who claims to be a heterosexual you should act more like one.”

“Funny.” It’d become normal for both women to have a certain energy with each other and just not question it, although they were both inclined sometimes to talk about it, but also really scared of what could happen if things changed. “Didn’t answer my question.” she kept her eyes still, capturing every single detail of Lou’s sparkly and thin figure walking alongside her. 

“All the girls had their moments and had the luxury to wear some expensive looking shit… I just thought I’d do the same, you know, since I’m like, one of the few reasons why all this worked out.”

“Ouch.” Debbie smiled. “It did work.” the brunette winked and Lou hummed at the sight of the other woman trying very miserably to get rid of her wig.

“Why don’t you just wait til we get home so I can help you with that? Unless you wanna lose half of your hair.” Lou said, lightly embracing Debbie by the waist. 

“That sounds better.” they both smiled and Lou laughed as Debbie made a childlike expression with her hands still attached to her head. 

“Let’s go then, I left my bike only a few quarters from here.”

“Lou, a girl is in heels.” Debbie said exhausted and Lou stopped just a few steps ahead of her, raising one eyebrow.  
  


“And what am I in? Converse fucking shoes?” Lou scoffed pointing at the black leather boots she had under her glittery pants, her voice lower than ever. “Come on, I’ll give you a massage once we get home.”

“You’ve got to stop saying you’ll do all these things for me, otherwise I’m gonna feel too spoiled.”

“Pity.” Lou answered with an ear to ear smile, the lines around her lips adorably showing.

  
  


It was a bit of an effort to get Debbie to sit on the bike with her gown, but Lou managed through it elegantly, giving her support with her body the whole way home. They were now by the shore next to the front door of Lou’s den and the brunette was the first one to speak up after they stopped hearing the scratchy sound from the bike starter. It was past midnight and the wind was crazy cold, specially where they lived, near the beach. Debbie’s feet hurt and she grunted as soon as they touched the floor, causing an annoyed grin to show on Lou’s lips. 

“Let’s go… they’re probably all inside.” Lou stated, reaching out her arm for Debbie to get a hold on.

“They’re here?” Debbie loudly asked, almost as if she had been carrying the entire world on her feet, nevertheless grateful for her girls. 

“Yup, I guess we’ll have to postpone that massage.” Lou affirmed, pouting. 

“Don’t even.” she stopped Lou from saying anything else that could help her break her earlier promises to Debbie. They both stepped inside and as soon as they closed the door, five other women came jumping in their direction, all of them looking astonished with something.

“Fucking hell Debbie I can’t believe we did it.” the girl with dark and glossy hair was the first one to speak up, childlike in both her voice and her eyes. Debbie stopped to look at the dress she was wearing, maybe a small proud smile was showing on her face and the girl could definitely tell. Debbie had seen her go from just this girl from the streets to this whole ass woman putting off a blue gown like she was a model.

“Constance, I love you, but if I don’t sit down right now…” the slant-eyed girl stepped back allowing Debbie to reach the couch, Lou’s hands were still glued to her back as if trying to keep her from falling down.

“Guys we… yes we did. Holy shit.” Debbie finally said as she sat down and took a good and proud look at her team. Lou’s grin widened and she seemed to be as proud as her partner. Once she finished her sentence, her eyes met Lou’s immediately, like they shared some kind of secret. The woman with a white dress adorned with roses approached the duo in the couch with a confused glance, her hair looked so messy it almost resembled a bird nest, a beautiful and very graceful one. Behind her, a woman with curves, that could kill someone, under a red silky dress had the same smile, but her eyes showed more exhaustion than confusion. 

“Nine dear, careful with my headband, I made it myself.” Rose stated, her irish accent was sharp but sweet.

“That ain’t no headband, Rose.” Lesley responded, proceeding to sit next to Debbie on the couch and in front of Lou, who was still standing uncannily quiet behind the furniture, her eyes focused on Debbie. The brunette already had her legs stretched out and placed on top of the coffee table and as Nine approached her, she smiled at her and looked up, trying to relief the pain in her neck.

Lou’s hands moved softly to touch Debbie’s shoulder and the brunette showed a rogue smile with the familiar touch. Both Tammy and Amita had their eyes following Lou’s sweet gestures and their faces could easily be compared to what five year olds looked like when seeing something really cute for the first time, for a moment, the two women were a little scattered from the group, they just stayed silent. Tammy’s black gown was shiny and heavy and she was just as tired as Debbie, but the adrenaline from the moment couldn’t let her rest the way she needed. As soon as Debbie’s eyes caught a glance of her best friend sitting across her, with sweat on her face and her black gown being held at the bottom by her hands, she let out a long and deep breath escape her lungs, and Tammy smiled at her with a knowingly look. _You did it again, Ocean._ The brunette read her lips and they seemed to share this very sacred moment where both of them could look at each other and not fear the unpredictable. 

“You, you! I love you! You were amazing... and honestly so fucking fast in that damn bathroom, I thought we were gonna get caught!” Lou quickly went to the other side of the living room and wrapped Amita’s head with both her hands, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

“Watch out, Deb’s gonna get jealous.” Constance shouted with her eyes funnily glancing at the blonde, who turned around just a few seconds later to look at her with a smile on her face that Constance couldn’t differ from a warm smile and Lou’s classic ‘I’m coming for your ass’ smile.

“I’ll kick your ass out of this place.” Debbie said, her eyes internally rolling. 

“I am that bitch.” the woman in a golden gown answered, her smile cutely showing and her dimples getting deeper as she’d get prouder and prouder of herself. Amita knew she wasn’t just some girl who worked at a pawn shop, and after this little project, her self trust and confidence were sky high. 

“You guys do know we’re meeting here again later, right?” Lou asked, her australian accent filling the empty space. 

“Oh is it tomorrow already?” Rose asked, her eyes closing hard after an attempt to look at her wrist, trying to know the time. Both Lou and Debbie smiled at her.

“Yeah… nighty night.” the blonde concluded, everyone in the room staring at her right after.

“What? Do we have to go?” Constance was the one to ask, darting her puppy eyes at Lou.

“This is not the time for your bullshit.” Lou lifted a finger to the air with a laugh, and Constance sighed. 

“You guys just wanna fuck.” Constance said in between mumbles.

“Language.” Nine said.

“Who’s gonna fuck who?” Tammy asked, locking her cell phone and looking up at the group, half of them ready to leave, some holding their gown, others their heels.

“There will be no fucking. Just stop.” Debbie was now the one to get up from the couch and hold Constance by her back in an attempt to guide her friends to the front door. “Get some rest. You guys did a great job.”

“We all did.” Lou added, following Debbie until they were both standing at the door, watching one not so classy group of women walk to a red car parked near the shore.

“Will you give me that damn massage now? I’m gonna die if you don’t. Just you fucking wait.” Debbie said quiet as she closed the front door and went back to the couch.

“Yes, but…” Lou’s eyes were pointing to her partner’s head.

“Ah, this. Will you help me?” Debbie motioned to the wig and pouted. 

“I said so didn’t I?” Lou disappeared for a few seconds and came back with a small round mirror which she had Debbie hold so she could remove the wig for her, as cautiously as she could.

“Fuck… thank you.” 

“It’s okay, now lie down, I promised you a massage.” Lou ordered and Debbie was quick to obey, desperate to have some well deserved rest.


	4. Where to go

With her bare feet on the floor, gown heavy and thick still around her curves, Debbie walked to the bedroom and allowed her body to relax and fall into her king size, followed by Lou. The blonde and slender woman still had her glittery green jumpsuit on, showing Debbie a little bit of her cleavage once she kneeled on the bed behind her, waiting for a command. Debbie tilted her head to look over her shoulder and into Lou's icy blue eyes. 

"Make yourself comfortable." Debbie whispered.

"Don't worry about me, turn around." Lou said and the brunette obliged with a growl before feeling Lou's front touch her back. Soon, Lou's fingers were making their way down her back, light but carefree. "We should get rid of this." her hands found the zipper of the dress and pulled a little, warning. Lou couldn't see her face, but she felt Debbie's grin widening.

"Why yes, how were you expecting to massage my back with me wearing this thing?" 

"Need help?" her fingers didn't let go of the zipper for one second, and that made Debbie sigh.

"From you? Always." the statement drew a smile out of Lou's lips, and she looked so beautiful like that, just in awe of the little things, the little moments between her and her best friend, if that was the right definition for them. She thought of overthinking this, went through her mind for a few seconds before she decided to live in the moment and take the words for what they are. Debbie would always need her, but maybe that wasn't such a big deal. Under her gown, Debbie had her black lingerie on, and the sight of it made Lou remember their days before Debbie went to jail, before Claude.

She still remembered passing through her partner's bedroom door while rushed to go somewhere, probably to see some chick or just hang in her club, Debbie would just stand there in her lingerie, very aware of Lou's eyes taking her in, and looking down at the foot of her bed where all her clothes were separated into different combinations, Lou knew those moments so well, just standing behind Debbie and watching her pick her outfit to go out with her brother, or to just go for a walk in the park to clear her thoughts. 

"Hey?" Debbie called, startling Lou from their past. That's not them anymore, this is. 

"Huh? Right, sorry." Debbie smiled but something inside her felt different, the bitterness and pain from nostalgia didn't fit her well. Lou's fingers tracing swift motions around her shoulders still felt the same. It was all still the same and the feelings remained but maybe one thing was different now. Them. Debbie let out every noise she could relaxing into Lou's touch and she could feel Lou's stomach twitching behind her from the laughter. They stayed like this for half an hour, kept going until Lou's hands begged her to stop. She sighed, placing her chin on Debbie's shoulder.

"What?" Debbie asked, grinning.

"Your turn." she whispered.

"Alright Miller, take the unicorn puke off and then I'll give you a massage."

"Joke all you want honey, I still look amazing." her accent was stronger now, her voice deep as usual.

"Never said you didn't." she looked up, smiling at Lou, who froze for a second and got up to undress. Unlike Debbie, she had no lingerie under her jumpsuit, just her black boxers and a glimpse of confidence, annoying confidence. Debbie could feel her jaw going to the floor as she watched Lou undress, and she saw the blonde wink at her before joining her again on her knees, sitting down and covering her front with Debbie's white covers.

"Nothing you haven't seen before, I think." 

"Grape oil?" Debbie asked.

"Oh yes, please." 

"Good, my girl deserves special treatment."

"Damn right she does." Debbie nudged her slightly, laughing. Everything went silent for a few minutes, Lou closed her eyes and faced her lap, inhaling deeply. "Debs, I can't stop thinking..."

"I know."

"What now? I mean, do we stop now? We've got everything we need." Lou stopped. "Sorta." Debbie frowned, turning her around to look at these blue eyes she had missed so much.

"I don't know, Lou. Do you want to stop now?"

"I just... don't wanna lose you again, that's all."

"Lou, I'm not going anywhere, at least not without you." Lou looked up, unable to move.

"You don't need me, Debs. Don't act like you do."

"Of course I do, Lou." she answered quickly. 

"No, you don't. You know I'm happy for us, and for the girls, but I've seen this before. You're an independent woman and now you're just gonna leave again and that's okay."

"It's not okay. Fuck, Lou, It's not okay. I'm not going anywhere, I don't wanna do that anymore, don't wanna leave you. I need..." she took Lou's hand with her own, squeezing it. "I can do jobs without you but I can't be without you, don't you get it?"

"Deb..." for a strange and unknown reason, her eyes were now getting saltier, full of tears.

"Do you have any idea of how much I needed you? Five years ago? I wasn't strong enough to say it and look where that got me."

"I needed you too, but you chose to go. You chose him."

"I didn't."

"What?" she laughed. "Of course you did, don't try to ignore that now."

"When will you understand that I wasn't choosing him, I was running away from you!" loudly, Debbie said, looking down and squeezing Lou's hand tighter, her eyes pressed shut so she wouldn't have her partner's blue globes staring at her while she decided to speak the truth. It broke her now, dressed her bones in vulnerability and Debbie wasn't used to that. Lou too, seemed to stop for a second before she could formulate her words, as if what was going on inside her head right now was any better. 

"Running away from me?" her australian accent was sharp and her voice almost inaudible. 

"I didn't know what else to do... I was scared that maybe I would lose you, and you are everything I have, Lou. Now, more than ever. Danny would tell me to stop chickening out and..." they laughed. "And talk to you."

"He said that to you?" 

"Yeah, he would say it all the time. Whenever the three of us were together, he would be the first one to see it. To see us. I did too... but I didn't wanna ruin us."

"Well babygirl, I hate to break it to you, but we are pretty ruined already. Been for ten years." Debbie nodded, looking down. They stopped talking, both of them listening to their breaths and being distracted by the tingly sensation running through their veins while their fingers interlocked. "Doesn't mean it's a bad thing."

"But he didn't understand, he couldn't."

"Wha..."

"Because he didn't love you like I did, anyway. Danny, I mean." Lou frowned, letting go of Debbie's hand and sitting even closer to her. She cupped the brunette's face with her hands, lightly and lovingly rubbing her scalp, not saying anything. "Like I _do._ " Debbie's voice came out strangled, in pieces, like the pieces of Lou's heart starting to heal now. Their lips brushed against one another, daring to move. 

"I love you." Lou said and Debbie closed her eyes.

"But I don't deserve you, Lou. I've hurt you, I ran away because you were too much for me and I didn't think about your feelings because that's what I always do..." her sentence was cut off by Lou's attempt to shut her up, kissing her desperately. They stopped shortly after, staring at each other, unsure of what to do.

"You're here now. Can we talk about the rest later?" Debbie was quick to nod and shut up before catching Lou's lips with her own again.

Everything went dead quiet. Debbie straddled the blonde's lap and let her undo the thin black straps on her shoulders, kissing every inch of skin she could find. They switched positions, and now Debbie had Lou's naked front pressing her against the mattress, taking the lead. Lou's enraged fingers made sure to get rid of every fabric covering Debbie's body within seconds and before the brunette could realize it, Lou's legs were tangled with hers, on top of her as Lou scattered bites and kisses that would definitely stain her skin later on. She could feel the throbbing between her legs increasing and Lou giggled at her desperately trying to take control.

"I've missed you so much, let me keep you here now, alright?" her aussie accent dripping with arousal hit Debbie's body like a shockwave, and the brunette could only shake her head. "Didn't hear you, what was that?"

"Alright." Debbie managed to answer, watching Lou grab her wrists and place them above her head, kissing her harder.


End file.
